Orlando's Leaders Like To Party Late

There's a lot going on -- with wayward birds buzzing the heads of a frazzled member of Congress and Orlando City Council members partying until early-morning hours. So let's get started, quick-hit style:

The zoo: The FleetCenter is something of a madhouse. Security's tight enough that even some folks with strong Democratic resumes have been held up trying to get in. Count Rep. Corrine Brown of Jacksonville among them.

Though I missed it, a Congressional Quarterly writer observed that while Brown was momentarily detained because she didn't have the proper credentials ready, a confused pigeon actually swiped her head.

Inside, the convention floor has been so crowded that fire marshals are shooing people out of the aisles and back to their seats, including Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

Party patrol: The Florida delegation's private party wound down around 2 Tuesday morning with nearly half of the Orlando City Council members taking advantage of last call and dancing to songs that ranged from "I Feel Like a Woman" to "Sweet Home Alabama."

Patty Sheehan (Absolut and cranberry), Daisy Lynum (Bailey's cream) and Mayor Dyer (cabernet sauvignon) were among the last to leave.

Red Carpet: Another popular party was the Arab-American Institute Foundation's bash at the Boston Center for the Arts -- where Orange County delegates Neal Abid and Taleb Salhab were front and center.

Four years ago, many power players would have bypassed this event. But with Arab-Americans growing in terms of money and clout, there was still a line to get in at 1:15 a.m.

Said Salhab, who netted a seat on stage behind President Clinton on Monday night: "We are getting the red-carpet treatment."

Star power: The whole state continues to get red-carpet treatment from the national committee, as Tuesday's breakfast featured the Rev. Jesse Jackson and actors Richard Dreyfuss and Alec Baldwin.

It appears as though even the Dems have lost some of their love for Baldwin, as many delegates ignored his lackluster speech, opting instead for handshakes and pictures with visiting Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.

Mr. Holland's Opus: Dreyfuss, who toted a laptop computer and donned a loosened tie and spectacles in disheveled-professor attire, was one of the most surprisingly eloquent -- and pointed -- speakers so far.

Dreyfuss referred to White House attacks against John Kerry -- and against one-time allies of President Bush, such as former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Sen. John McCain -- saying: "This administration has a talent for character assassination that should not be confused with a talent for governance."

And You Are? Daisy Lynum trekked across town to Harvard University on Tuesday night for a cocktail reception. Mulling around with other alumni of the university's elected-officials training program was actor James Cromwell (who played the president in The Sum of All Fears). Not one to let star power throw her off, Lynum, a member of Orlando's City Council, inquired about whether Cromwell had ever attended the school. He wasn't sure if she was serious. She was. So he finally 'fessed up that he was stumping for Dennis Kucinich's issues to be included in the party platform. (How random.) Pleasant conversations and laughs followed.

Seen and Heard: Former Attorney General Janet Reno swaying on the convention floor to "Dancin' in the Streets,'' looking very natural and nice but also conjuring up memories of Saturday Night Live's Janet Reno Dance Party. . . . Former state Rep. Dick Batchelor being the first to shake Jackson's hand. . . . Reliable sources reporting that tickets for Monday night's event, with Bill Clinton, may have been harder to get than for Thursday night -- with John Kerry.

Parting Words: Jackson: "I'm on a No-CARB diet. No Cheney. No Ashcroft. No Rumsfeld. No Bush."